Owning an EV in North Dakota: Charging Cost, Incentives, and More

Owning an EV isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about North Dakota! North Dakota is all about farming, eye-popping National Parks, and long driving distances between towns. How does North Dakota compare against other states when it comes to owning an EV?  

The availability and distance between charging stations, the weather, and how much cargo weight I have in my EV all play a crucial role in EV performance. Let’s dig in!

Key EV Considerations

• Charging stations: You’re going to need them! When the car’s battery level is low, you need somewhere (close, preferably) to charge the batteries. 
• Weather: Warmer weather is better for battery performance than cold weather. In cold weather (20℉), EV operation consumes the stored battery energy 40% faster than in warmer weather (75℉). 

1. At 20℉, you can drive for 150 miles before recharging.  
2. At 75℉, you can go for 250 miles before recharging.

• What am I hauling in my car? More people equates to more weight. More weight equals a reduced driving range. Will I drive my EV ten miles to and from work, or must I drive 150 miles to and from work?

North Dakota’s EV Numbers

Consumers are flocking to EVs in many states. California, Florida, Texas, Washington, and New York lead the pack with consumers purchasing EVs. California is way out front with Q3 2022 numbers of 392,401 EV registrations, or 20% of the state’s total automobile sales. 

Consumers need more time to embrace EVs in many states. North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota, West Virginia, and Mississippi are still warming up to EVs. In fact, North Dakota has the lowest percentage of EVs in the Nation. In 2022 540 EVs were sold in North Dakota. That’s approximately .02% of the state’s total annual automobile sales.

North Dakota’s New/Used Automobiles Sales

The number one best-selling new and used automobile in North Dakota is a Ford-150 truck.  

North Dakota is a farming country. The lack of EV trucks available for home driving/farm driving purchase has kept North Dakota’s EV numbers low. North Dakotans want trucks, and there haven’t been many EV trucks in the marketplace.

EVs National Sales Trend

Automobile and truck manufacturing companies are converting their manufacturing lines to EVs. Consumer conversion to EVs requires automobile purchasing availability and charging infrastructure.

Manufacturing

Automobile manufacturing companies are hyper-fixated on future trends. Knowing where the automobile industry will be in ten years is vital to development and investment today. The auto industry is betting EVs are here to stay, so they’re investing heavily. 

North Dakota

The state of North Dakota thinks that EVs are here to stay too, and they’re also investing heavily in EV infrastructure. Welcome to what may be the golden age of EV travel in North Dakota!

Charging Infrastructure

The lack of a complete consumer EV embrace in North Dakota is good for current EV consumers. Guess which state has the most accessible charging stations? You guessed right! North Dakota! 

North Dakota has a ratio of 3.18 EVs for each charging station. California has a ratio of 12.23 EVs for each charging station.   

With 226 charging stations sprinkled throughout North Dakota, you won’t have difficulty traveling from major city to major city. Carefully research charging station availability if you travel away from the major highways.

Charging Station Location and Type:

The charging stations are near the central East/West (I-94, U.S. Route 2) and major North/South (I-29, U.S. Route 83) highways. Where you typically won’t find charging stations located is positioned in rural towns.  

Federal Infrastructure legislation passed in 2021 earmarked twenty-six million dollars to build new charging stations for I-29 and I-94 over the next five years. More charging stations are coming soon!

Cost of Ownership

North Dakotans love their trucks, so let’s look at the specific performance and price of a few of the most popular EV truck models.

As the chart above shows, the purchase price increases as the battery capacity increases. More battery capacity equals greater driving range. More driving range equals greater flexibility.  

It’s worth noting that as the payload or towing weight increases, the driving range will decrease dramatically. It doesn’t matter which make/model you’re driving. 

Factory Maintenance Coverage

Scheduled maintenance on EVs is much less than on combustion engines. You’ll need to schedule appointments for brake fluid changes, windshield wiper fluid changes, and tire rotations. Other than that, there’s little to maintain on an annual basis.  

1. Rivian R1T
   • Five-year, 75000-mile comprehensive warranty 
   • Eight-year, 175,000-mile battery warrant
2. Ford F150-Lightening
   • Three-year, 36000-mile comprehensive warranty
   • Eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty
3. GMC Hummer EV
   • Three-year, 36000-mile comprehensive warranty
   • Eight-year, 100,000-mile battery warranty
   • First scheduled maintenance is free
4. Tesla Cybertrucks
   • Four Year, 50000-mile comprehensive warranty
   • Eight-year, 150,000-mile battery warranty

Driving Down the Road Cost

Based on North Dakota home charging electricity costs, we’ve calculated the price to fill up an empty battery bank for each of the EVs below. (Insider tip: Never run your battery to zero.)

Incentives

Incentives are the hook that car manufacturing companies, states, the federal government, and local car dealerships use to sweeten the deal. The cost of EVs is greater than the cost of combustion engines. “Sticker shock” is real! Incentives help reduce the overall cost of the EV to help make it more affordable.

Incentives-North Dakota Specific

North Dakota is still developing a long-term strategy to drive increased EV utilization. As such, no “state-level” incentives are currently available for EV purchases.

Rebates-North Dakota Specific

North Dakota is one of five states that do not have a time of use (TOU) electrical charging discount program.

Tax Credit-Federal

North Dakotans do have a significant $7,500 Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) federal tax credit available. The tax credit amount will vary depending on the current year and the manufacturing location.

Recharging cost

Owning an EV isn’t just good for the environment but also for your wallet! North Dakota has some of the cheapest electricity costs in the country. That’s direct savings going into your bank account.